Irish Sport Horses

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Horses from Ireland are one of the best in the world. For a country of their size, Ireland manages to produce top-quality horses annually. When you think of buying horses, do not forget to include an Irish horse.

Its history dates back to the “Cuchulian Saga”, written in 1 BC. It has illustrated powerful chariot horses that look like the Irish Draught. Then, in the 13th century, the Anglo-Normans arrived in Ireland through the help of their war horses. In the sixteenth century, the trade between southern Ireland and Spain has contributed to the mixture of Spanish blood with the native horses. Since the Middle Ages, they have also been exported to Europe. During World War II, they also served in the armies. But since Ireland greatly benefitted from agriculture, Irish farmers wanted to come up with a breed that can really help with farming. Because of this, the Irish Sport Horse (ISH) or Irish Hunter was born.

In the United States, this is called the Irish Draught Sports Horse. It is the end result of the cross breed between the English Thoroughbred and Irish Draft Horses. The Irish Draft has wisdom, candor and personality; whereas the Thoroughbred has athletic skills, speed and stamina. All these have made the Irish horse always on top of all the other horse breeds. The Irish Horse is highly in demand since they’re favorite must-haves among equestrians. This is all because of their jumping abilities. Irish Horses are exported to other parts of the world with Europe as one of its chief buyers.

Irish Sport horses stand between 15 to 17 hands high and they come in various colors like piebald and skewbald. They have well-proportioned heads, straight ears, and elongated necks. They are of three types: the light-weight type carries riders up to about 70 kg; middle weight type carries riders up to about 89 kg and the heavy-weight carries riders that exceed 89 kg. Today, middle weights are common while the other two types are hard to find. They are known to be keen and intelligent and have great skills in learning and paying attention to commands. The Irish Sport Horse is superiority, capacity and gallantry all rolled into one.

Their extraordinary jumping abilities make them clear fences and other obstacles with ease. Thus, they are excellent for show jumping competitions and eventing.